Two weeks to go before the end of 2019, a year in which the streets of the world have been colored with the works of artists and creatives. In addition to the classic murals made with spray cans, we have witnessed an evolution of the techniques and materials used, going so far as to create tags on the bottom of the sea.
Let’s review the most emblematic street artworks of the year, hoping to surprise ourselves even more in 2020.
Banksy infiltrates Venice Biennale 2019 with his new work Venice in Oil
Among the various Banksy’s works appeared this year the one that has been most successful and that has amazed most art lovers, but not only is Venice in Oil. Appearing in Venice at the same time as the Biennale, the Bristol artist – with the help of a mysterious painter – decided to exhibit his new work in St. Mark’s Square, in the midst of those of many other street artists.
The artwork represents a colossal cruise ship crossing the Grand Canal, past palaces and gondoliers. The not too subtle criticism has been appreciated by all.
JR enters a prison and turns it into a work of art
JR, the versatile French artist, has once again created a masterpiece this year. By choosing the outer courtyard of Tehachapi’s maximum security prison as his canvas and the prisoners as his helpers, JR has created a gigantic mural visible from the high representative of the prisoners themselves. The work was the pretext for telling their stories and asking his audience only one question: “Can a man change?“
Floating World the mural that reveals itself when reflected in the water
Vilnius-born street artist Ray Bartkus is best known for his work Floating World. It is a mural that occupies the entire external surface of a house overlooking the Šešupė River and that at first glance may not surprise. But if you pay attention, you can see that the real end result is revealed in its reflection in the water.
Le tre grazie, TVBOY celebrates the love between PD and M5S
TVBOY, the Italian artist who has often been compared to Banksy, now specializing in murals with a political background, this year delighted us with The Three Graces representing Conte, Di Maio and Zingaretti and a Renzi in the role of a cupid ready to shoot his arrow.
For this work, the street artist was inspired by two of the great painters of the Italian Renaissance, Raphael and his painting of the same name, and Botticelli from whom he stole the figure of cupid.
This mural from Utrecht looks like a library shelf
Thanks to Dutch street artists Jan Is De Man and Deef Feed, they have transformed an apartment building in Utrecht into a huge bookshop. In fact, the wall of the three-storey building has become the perfect canvas to paint a bookcase composed of several shelves, which include a selection of the two artists’ favorite books, as well as some invented titles.
The greyness of the buildings turns into something new: that’s how the city becomes colorful and fun.
Empire, the new project by street artist Rone
This year the artist Rone amazed us with a project that transformed an Art Deco building from 1930 that had been uninhabited for over 20 years, into something new and beautiful. Rone has repeatedly stated that his intention is to bring people into the uninhabited house to ask himself what happened first in the same place and why it was left to fall into ruin.
Sirante, the all-Italian anonymous street artist
In addition to TVBOY, Italian street artist Sirante also sees Italian politics as an infinite source of inspiration. Just like Banksy, Sirante uses his art as a means of denunciation, and his murals are so striking that they don’t need great publicity on the social networks because it’s enough the dozens of newspapers that punctually testify the thing and the photos that immortalize police or carabinieri removing his works from the walls.
1UP, the German crew has created the first underwater murals
On the island of Nusa Penida, off the coast of Bali, the German street artist crew 1UP has created the first underwater murals. Yes, thanks to the help of several institutions including the PangeaSeed Foundation, Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans and the Coral Guardian, 1UP was able to design and then concretely create their perfect tag to survive underwater. The act of the 1UP crew is a perfect example of how art can be a unique and original means of denunciation and awareness.
Hizkunta, the mural that reveals itself at night
In Baiona, a small town on the south-western coast of France, in Pasta Plaza, the two Barcelona artists María López and Javier de Riba have unleashed all their creativity by creating Hizkunta. It is a mural that at first glance, or rather, in sunlight seems to be a simple silhouette of a whale. You have to wait for the sun to set completely to admire the work in its real splendor, which in the dark reveals a luminous design.
CŎR, the mural that beats in the middle of the city
Last but not least is CŎR, the immense work of street artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada who brought a beating heart to the center of the Spanish city of Santa Coloma de Gramanet.
The inspiration for this artwork came to the artist thinking of the small town, which houses a community of 114 different nationalities. It is a CŎR, a heart, where different stories, different people and different cultures coexist, making the city extremely alive.
